Category Archives: Kentucky

May 10: Calvert Drive In, Calvert City KY

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It’s Day 69 of my virtual Drive-In-a-Day Odyssey. I knew I had a bit of a haul again, driving just over five hours from Mountain View AR to Calvert City KY. But I knew this would be worth it, getting a chance to actually watch a movie for the first time in a week, this time at the Calvert Drive In. Coming in from the west on I-24, I had to pass the Calvert, hit a cloverleaf, and then drive an extra couple of miles to get to its entrance on state highway 95. Its sign has improved a bit since the photo I’ve got on this post.

According to a story in The Christian Chronicle, Paul and Evelyn Harrington opened the Calvert in 1953. Drive-in Theatre. Now grandson John Harrington runs the place with his wife, Paula. They’re proud of their family atmosphere and the absence of R-rated movies on its screen. And of the great prices and food at the concession stand. “Granny’s hamburger has always been something people came out to get, and we sell a lot of hamburgers to people who don’t even stay for the movie,” John Harrington said. “The hamburger saved the drive-in.”

One thing I found most impressive about the Calvert sounds simple – the Upcoming Movies page on their web site. Most drive-ins barely know what movies they’re going to get week to week. The Calvert has every film planned for over three months. Some of them include a “subject to change” note, but that’s still handy and cool.

For a classic Friday night at the drive-in, I finally got around to seeing Rock Dog. It wasn’t unpleasant, but I don’t think the creators of this film need to work on their Oscar acceptance speeches.

Miles Today / Total:  274 / 8954 (rounded to the nearest mile)

Movie Showing / Total Active Nights: Rock Dog / 39

Nearby Restaurant: Okay, I ate at the Cracker Barrel. I admit it. I’ve always been a sucker for this place, with its aggressively homespun gift shop and warm helpings of comfort food in the dining room. There aren’t a whole lot of choices in Calvert City, and although I eyed the Waffle House, I’ve found the experience at the Cracker Barrel to be even more dependable.

Where I Virtually Stayed: As I’ve written before, when the Super 8 is the best place in town, that means there’s not much competition or that particular location is really great. In Calvery City, it was a little of both. I always appreciate the mini-fridge in the room, and the hot breakfast was better than the average Super 8. And the only other place I saw was a Days Inn.

Only in Calvert City: Just a few miles away from the Calvert Drive-In, on the west side of Calvert City, you’ll find the Apple Valley Hillbilly Garden and Toyland along US 68. This place is in the dictionary under “quirky.” Lots of found art, reshaped into such pun-inspiring objects as the “Valley of Lost Soles.” A shed full of a visual cacaphony of vintage toys. And it’s all free, but they’d love it if you dropped a little something into the donation can.

Next Stop: Birdsong Drive-In Theater, Camden TN.

KY Man Hopes to Revive Tri-City

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WFIE, Evansville IN’s News Leader, reported yesterday that the Tri-City Drive-In across the border near Beaver Dam KY might be showing movies again this summer. The Tri-City, a single-screen theater with room for 200 cars, opened in the mid-1950s and operated through the 2015 season.

Luke Burden bought the Tri-City and the indoor Mall Cinema in Hartford in March 2016, helped by a $50,000 loan from the Ohio County Economic Development Alliance. At the time, Burden said he would upgrade the indoor theater first, so I guess that makes it the Tri-City’s turn. Burden told WFIE he needs around $200,000 for all the work the site will need before it can open again. He even talked about building “the largest drive-in screen in the nation,” which gives me pause. Why would this cozy 200-car theater need such a huge screen? Was that bravado, naivete, or what?

Any talk of reviving a drive-in is good news, and any chance to embed a drive-in video is a good opportunity. From the apparent state of the concession stand and screen in the video, it’s remarkable how decent the place looked in this September 2015 Google Street View. I know that modern projection, bathroom, and kitchen equipment require serious cash, so I hope Mr. Burden installs all of that before he starts expanding the screen.

NIMBYs block Kentucky drive-in

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A man who wanted to build a two-screen drive-in near Crestwood KY has withdrawn his rezoning application after strong opposition led by its prospective next-door neighbor. The story was extensively reported by the Louisville Courier-Journal, and the video above is from WHAS, Louisville’s news leader.

Stephen Sauerbeck of La Grange KY wanted to buy an 80-acre site on Old La Grange Road from the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, then rezone 40 acres for the drive-in. Tom Nelson, who lives in a nearby “historic home” on 270 acres called the plan “preposterous” and successfully organized neighbors to block the application. The Courier-Journal wrote that Nelson said he “doesn’t object to the concept of a drive-in” but noted that the proposed site had too many problems.

Of course, this is classic Not-In-My-Back-Yard (NIMBY) talk. Everyone knows that something is of value to the community, but no one wants to rub elbows with it. On the other hand, when this story first surfaced a few weeks ago, I looked at the proposed site (via Google Street View), and the roads there really are pretty thin and rural.

Sauerbeck says he’s continuing to scout locations, and I hope he finds something that works. (Psst, try sites next to highways.) Meanwhile, let this be a reminder that anyone trying to start a drive-in had better make sure he’s got the neighbors on board.